The present invention relates to saddles for horses, of the type in which a system of webs is stretched over a saddle tree frame to form a seat base, and which further includes a cushion to distribute the rider's weight on the seat. The invention is more specifically directed to a saddle in which a gel cushion is employed to absorb shock and bounce of the rider on the saddle. The gel cushion also distributes the rider's weight evenly and avoids pressure concentrations in the contact zone of the rider on the seat. The gel cushion serves as a buffer between the rider and the saddle and a similar cushion in the panel can also serve as a buffer between the rider and the horse.
A traditional riding saddle is built on a tree frame that includes left and right side members or bars, a bow or head that joins the front ends of the bars and a cantle that joins the rear ends. A canvas web member is stretched longitudinally between the bow and the cantle, and a series of transverse webs are stretched over the longitudinal web and attached to the side bars. This produces a spring like seat base. This is covered with a thin layer of muslin or similar material, followed by a resilient seat cushion, and then a leather seat cover is stretched over the assembly. The saddle also includes panels disposed beneath the tree frame side bars to distribute the weight of the saddle and rider over the back of the horse. The panels often are formed of leather covers, with wool being stuffed inside. Additional layers are sometimes employed as a barrier to keep horse perspiration away from the wool lining.
Currently, foam rubber pads are sometimes employed as the seat cushion or as cushion members for the panels. However, foam compresses under vertical pressure and tends to collapse after sustained heavy use. Because foam compresses mostly where vertical pressure is greatest, these foam pads result in pressure concentrations near the center of the sitting contact area. Foam cushion members in the panels have similar drawbacks and tend to result in focussed pressure points where the saddle rests on the horse's withers. The weight of the rider is then focussed onto only a few points of contact, rather than being evenly distributed over the horse's back.
Foam and other resilient cushioning material is ineffective in absorbing or damping bounce and shock forces that result from normal riding activity. Bounce and shock can result in bruises to the horse or to the rider at the focussed pressure points mentioned just above.
Some previous attempts have been made to design the saddle tree so that the saddle contacts broad areas of the horse, or so that the saddle will flex or bend to conform to the shape of the horse. A number of these previous proposals are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,734. Other saddles have been provided with foam cushion layers, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,715.
Encapsulated gel material has been employed in anatomical cushions, such as seats or saddles for racing bicycles. Some of these are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,815,361 and 4,999,068. In these cases an encapsulated gel member is combined with a foam cushion and its geometry is tailored to give the rider graduated support. These gels can be organosiloxane compounds. The gels tend to permit lateral or front and back travel, and must be constrained and limited to restricted portions of the seat. As such, these gels would be unsuited for use in equestrian saddles.
A saddle pad employing a rheopexic fluid contained in a deformable sealed chamber has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,538. A rheopexic fluid molds itself to a user's body part, but when left at rest it flows back to its initial state. Because the active material is fluid, it must be contained in chambers and can only cover selected portions of the seat. There is no contemplation of the use of a rheopexic fluid, or gel, or any other similar material for the pad or cushion of the panels to protect or cushion the horse.
None of these previous proposals in the saddlery arts has addressed the need to absorb energy so that bouncing is avoided and transmission of shock to the rider or to the horse is also avoided.